As of last Thursday, we, as a couple, have lost 200 pounds.
One of the lowest points in our lives together was a visit in 2004 to Hershey Park. Stacy and I both love roller coasters but had never gone to an amusement park together. We were excited to go until our first coaster where Stacy could not pull the shoulder harness down. The attendant gave her a dirty look as he pushed as hard as he could to get the first notch to latch. Stacy was humiliated, cried for days and swore off amusement parks forever that night.
Heck of an intro - how has it changed their lives?
One of the lowest points in our lives together was a visit in 2004 to Hershey Park. Stacy and I both love roller coasters but had never gone to an amusement park together. We were excited to go until our first coaster where Stacy could not pull the shoulder harness down. The attendant gave her a dirty look as he pushed as hard as he could to get the first notch to latch. Stacy was humiliated, cried for days and swore off amusement parks forever that night.
A few weeks ago, however, as a Father’s Day gift Stacy purchased us tickets to a theme park, we got a sitter and made a triumphant return to King’s Dominion together without the kids. On our first coaster, I pulled down my harness and then listened to Stacy whisper “One, two, three, four, five…” as she clicked down her own harness. We had a blast that day and vowed to return as often as we could. We also plan to do other activities our weight has previously inhibited: hot air balloon rides, kayaking, and whatever else comes our way!
Life has changed for us in amazing ways. We’re not just more healthy and able, but we’ve been injected with a lust for life that’s intoxicating. We both just want to live and be happy. Do we get frustrated when we want to eat out at a restaurant and have to have a 10 minute debate about what might be OK on that side of town? Sure. But, is it worth feeling strong, healthy, happy, completely in love, intimate and the best people and parents we know how? Absolutely.
Most people as large as these two were are not heavy because they didn't work hard, didn't try to get control of their weight, or didn't care about the life they were losing. They become sick from neolithic food, and the cure was a move away from neolithic foods towards paleolithic foods. The discipline changes from that of trying to pretend you know how much you should eat, and restricting yourself to a perception of what is "enough" food, to restricting yourself to eating those foods which don't make you sick. It is not easy, but it works.
When I talk to groups about dieting, I ask them to think of how frustrating it would be for people to try and navigate one city with a map from a different city. After a while, you would give up and either start asking directions or just find a place to stop. Dieting using the USDA guidelines, or the ADA diet, or the American Heart Association's low fat recommendations is like driving with a bad map - and most people using that map will fail and then quit trying to lose weight. That is what is exciting to me about teaching the paleolithic model. It's not that it makes it easy to lose weight and stay healthy, but it does make such a thing possible.
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